• The Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, February 5, 2008 11:45 AM

The success of Tory Burch's Reva shoe--a $195 ballet slipper with a double-T logo on a brass-plated buckle--is no fluke. With a business plan more in line with strategy in the packaged-goods industry than the design world, it's part of Burch's carefully choreographed brand-building effort that is redefining how to run a fashion business.

Burch--a New York socialite and a mother of three boys--had no design experience when she launched her company with her venture-capitalist ex-husband, though she had worked in public relations and marketing for several designers.

Burch didn't invent the shoe. Instead, she took note of the popularity of $300 ballet flats introduced by designers such as Marc Jacobs. Rather than compete head-on with them, she set out to build a highly commercial shoe that would sell at a lower price. The Burches formed a joint venture with Vince Camuto, a co-founder of Nine West, who enlisted his Brazilian factories to make a high-quality, affordable shoe. His creative director helped design a shoe that was sleek and low-cut but comfortable.

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